Where oh where is Gianna?

In my tummy still! Today I am 39 weeks pregnant. I know, I know... technically I have a week until my due date, but GEEZ! Sophia was born at 38 weeks and 6 days. My water broked at 38 weeks and 5 days. I'm starting to get a little restless :P

I went to my midwife yesterday, there is some progress. I am 3+ centimeters dilated, 50% effaced, and she is sitting at a -3 station. I was happy to hear about the dilation, but not going to lie... I was bummed to hear about where I was at effacement and station wise. Well, lo and behold, the midwife said that it is normal for multigravida women to not be effaced or be engaged this far along. To me, this made no sense... I figured she was just telling me something to shut me up. My thought is, well, you've been through it once, so the second time the baby should practically be falling out, right?

Wrong.

I did some research tonight, and everything I have found has said basically the same thing.

"The concept of "station" denotes the degree of engagement of the fetal head as it navigates the maternal pelvis. Station is the relationship of the presentng part to an imaginary line drawn between the ischial spines of the pelvis. The ischial spines are two bony prominences that demarcate the middle of the pelvis.

Although we assess station during the last weeks of prenatal care (or in the case of preterm labor), its most frequent application is in labor. Progress in labor is assessed by means of several parameters, namely cervical consistency (soft to firm), cervical effacement (shortening), cervical position (posterior, anterior, or mid), cervical dilatation (0 to 10 cm) and station (-4 which is just coming into the pelvis to +4 station which is on the perineum or ready to be born). When the top of the fetal head (or other presenting part as in a breech presentation), arrives at the level of the ischial spines, the baby is said to be at 0 station or "engaged.”

Primigravidas (women having their first baby) typically engage before labor and may enter labor at -1, 0 or even +1 station.

Multigravidas (women having their second or greater baby) often engage during labor."

Well, there ya go. The last two lines say it all. Apparently, it's "normal" that I haven't really had the baby engage yet or too much effacement. Yay for the dilation though!!! With Sophia I was 2 cm for the longest them, then my water broke and I was "about a 3". After 12 HOURS of labor I was still at "3 to 4 cm" according to the nurse. So the face that I am already to 3 makes me happy. The fact that I am 3+, makes me even happier. I guess that means I am at 3 with wiggle room to almost 4? I'll at least think that to make myself feel successful for the moment :P